Lustate

I think it's a balancing act for all on this one. Can you imagine going to Gunbae and having zero atmosphere because of low sailor numbers? Or of course the flip side of trying to get into Extra Virgin and having a table of 10 crew blocking out the place? Must be a hard thing to plan for everyone really. On the professionalism thing the closest I have found on VV is often caused by sailors. You will see a group of crew having dinner and keeping themselves to themselves and a sailor tries to muscle in and be "friends" with them. The poor crew are trying to eat and relax and sailors need to remember these are professionals so they won't tell you to sling it, but please give them space when they are off shift. There is someone on insta who constantly is showing "dinner with..." and you can see the crew have glazed over and want them gone.

I'm club VV all the way. Never wanted to do a cruise because of all the issues people say on here with the extras, the having to pay for a meal unless you want a rubbish buffet of bland food etc. VV came along and we gave them a go. Would we switch brands? Doubt it.

VV meal sizes (in general) are European / conservative sized so for a grazer or people who do not want to feel bloated at the end of three courses they are great. Some of the venues are much heavier, such as Extra Virgin which can be six courses. What I would recommend if you want to have a sampler night, is to book a heavier meal or one of the more in-demand options, and then, move between restaurants between courses. For example the antipasto and affettai misti in Extra Virgin, and then head to Razzle Dazzle for the "secret menu". If you still feel peckish, skip dessert and head to Lick Me Till I Scream for two scoops and a walk around the outside deck.

On the vloggers/influencers/online bloggers etc... EVERY brand has a team who will monitor all people with a following. These boards will be checked over by them on a daily basis for "flags" and things they need to look into. They will get to know the names, people, and plans they have. They will all be recorded in the brand's client/customer relationships management systems. Someone may only have 10 followers, but if they are active on boards, provide good feedback or they are open to experiences they will be targeted onboard either with or without notice. it is just the development of relationships and brands. You know how you just "drop" into the conversation when you are making a booking something like "oh it is my birthday which is why we are going away"... things like that are GOLD to a brand. That day you may get a little cake, or an extra drink "on the house", and what do you do? you post about it, or a cute pic... and BINGO you advertise for them the positive spin on the brand. You have a conversation piece when you get back home, or online engagement is pushed up via you to the brand. It's normal, it's out there and it's for the brand and your benefit so just roll with it. The best and most valued ambassadors are natural, honest and open. So be you, enjoy what you get, and every treat as a perk, not payment or an entitlement.

As friendly as the VV Shore Side team is, there does seem to be a conflict between the brand style and the needs of the role. For example, they are still all "Ahoy, thanks for sailing by..." but that seems to have taken over from the purpose of the role which is to resolve challenges and assist sailors and training needs move down below the brand style in the training pecking order. I think when they fill the training posts and have a standardised "welcome route" for the staff, things will improve.

But not in reverse. Ie you cannot use your bar tab as loot in shops.

It is also worth remembering that on most voyages they have port days and on them days the shops are shut anyway. I would imagine you will have something up and running soon, and would be by the end of the voyage for sure on something like the logo shop.

Hey all, I'm not sure if anyone can answer or has even experienced this but here goes... In a standard sea terrace, you have a side table that moves and can be flipped on its side to be an overlap table to eat off in bed. In most suites, you have a dining or lounge area with a table to eat off. In a seriously suite, you do not appear to have either. Has anyone ordered from ship eats in a seriously suite and did they bring something you could eat off?

You can use two beds only on the bottom, or a set up with a double on the bottom and a single on the top as per the pics below. With the high-level bed in the pic just imagine the back wall (far end of the pic) has the terrace doors.

Hi, You currently would qualify as a Sea Rover, as you will have said twice between January 2022 and December 2023. If you sail again before the end of December you will automatically get the deep blue extras package added to your booking. If you sail in 2024, they have not announced the perks you would get, but you would get an extra $100 for every $300 you add to the bar tab before you set sail.

In a word... Yes. It can be cleared if its need by port authorities and should not affect your voyage in any way.

That is my pet hate as well. Some agents are effectively blocking sailors (or agents) booking suites (or cabins like the XL), on the off chance they might be able to sell it in three weeks. Then they hold it again, and again. Two weeks before departure they know it won’t sell and release it, meaning it goes into bidding, so sailors pay over what would have been the general sale price. side note on bidding, we have had one come through for a “lock it in” sea terrace to a mid terrace for £185 which was the minimum.

I'm still a bit fresh to this all but.... When people say they want a 10 or 14-night cruise, why don't they just book back-to-back voyages? serious question if there is a reason.

but we have all spotted an ugly sober lol Some people dont need booze to be a nightmare sailor.

Point of impact assessment would have taken place on the structure as part of the general build plan. The placement fo fenders on the general side of the ship's dock would of course be a significantly harder target not to see, and be spaces out more. This goes for small boats up to mega-ships. The end of the dock I would imagine will be covered as this would be the most likely point of impact. Think about your cars, are bumpers put on the pointy corners where they outlying sections of the vehicle are, or on the long smooth side the side? The extended end to the dock (which this section is on) was an install for VV at the point that Terminal V was built so accommodate the length of the ships.

Another point... Its an hour. An Hour. Thats all. With the planning of shore time, this would hardly be noticed. Get a map, work out the essentials and stick to them. It won't take a moment joy from your trip.

Now it's easy to judge from a distance but....You would think the rubber buffers would be positioned where the ship would hit, rather than higher up. They know the ship shape, overhangs etc, so why leave that chunk of concrete exposed?

To each their own. The loud joyous welcome is pretty traditional in Koren restaurants, so I think it would be rude to westenise the experience.

Technically there is a way anyone can see what direction you are heading. If you stand in The Roundabout, and look at the ceiling you can see a giant circle of lights above the stairs. The red line always points north 🙂

See, that's the downside of you both looking like supermodels, which no human could resist.

We might have the reverse of this issue. We bought a MNVV voucher which expires in 2024, but dont think we will be using it, Or at least not before it expires. Not the end of the world as the current offers have equaled it and cost us nothing, but would have been good to have used it.

Travel agents can book specific rooms for you (virgin call the top ones First Mates), or you can call and book direct or change your cabin with VV yourself. When you board a VV, you can see a number on the screen saying you are passenger X of Y, and that's how people on board can tell.

Sounds like our paths will cross, as we board this weekend 🙂 How full was the ship? looking at current sales seems pretty empty with lots of availability.

Did anyone ever get to the bottom of the “Can lock it in rates” being able to bid for an upgrade?

Congratulations on the anniversary, 22 years and counting for us.